


I May Be Intoxicated But I'm Not Drunk

by allmilhouse



Category: Bell Book and Candle (1958)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Kissing, M/M, New Year's Eve, Reminiscing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:00:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27487708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allmilhouse/pseuds/allmilhouse
Summary: Sidney and Nicky have a slight disagreement about when their relationship started
Relationships: Nicky Holroyd/Sidney Redlitch
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	I May Be Intoxicated But I'm Not Drunk

It really started with New Year’s. Nicky insists that it started at Christmas. Christmas Eve specifically, at Gil’s apartment, before he even got there. 

“That’s when we summoned you!” Nicky protests, just indignant enough to keep from being whiny. “The whole thing, the whole affair begins with Gil and I conspiring to summon you to New York. The universe’s first move to bring us together happened Christmas Eve, ipso facto, it started at Christmas.” He crosses his arms and smiles smugly, standing there across the nearly empty room, as if he really had a chance at convincing Sidney with that argument. It’s cute in a way. Sidney just toys with his glass, watching the last sip splash around, before responding. He was going to savor this.

“Firstly, please don’t call our relationship an affair. That has connotations, and if you’re gonna call yourself a writer, then word choice matters. Secondly,” he rumbles pleasantly, his voice growing slightly deeper as he speaks louder to cut off Nicky’s inevitable rebuttal. “Don’t sell yourself short. If you conspired to bring me here, don’t let the universe take credit. My author’s picture on that dust jacket was pretty irresistible, I can understand the impulse to meet me in person. And thirdly-”

He’s interrupted by Nicky kissing him, half crawling in his lap and balancing on the overstuffed arm of their one good chair. That’s the beauty of a beatnik and a drunk living together- neither of them had any furniture to start with, nor the desire to collect any, beyond the essentials- typewriter, liquor cabinet, etc.

Chuckling as they pull apart, he raises his thick eyebrows. “Boy, I am irresistible.”

Nicky laughs back, settling comfortably on the arm on the chair. “No, I thought that might be the easiest way to get you to stop talking. But you’re even more insufferable than I thought. Go on, what’s thirdly?”

“Thirdly, and arguably most important- did you learn nothing from the walking cautionary tale that is your brother-in-law? Some bachelor party, dragging that geezer in the dead of night to that crazy old broad-”

“Bianca, the biggest name in modern magic,” Nicky supplants. 

“That crazy old broad,” he continues, by now more than familiar with how often and smoothly Nicky worms his way into Sidney’s words. It’s part of why they made such an effective writing team. That, and sex is surprisingly good for getting over writer’s block. “That crazy old broad who took him to the cleaners just to get a clear head. Magic nearly wrecked their entire relationship before it ever really started, and that’s why ours didn’t start until New Year’s.”

He finished his drink emphatically, the bourbon acting as his version of a judge’s gavel, and turned, refreshed, to see Nicky looking down at him, a twinkle in those manic, mysterious eyes. 

“You want to insist our relationship started when we both had clear heads?”

It’s a trap, he can tell from the amused lilt to Nicky’s voice, but he’s not sure where it’s going, and when it comes to Nicky, it’s best to let him lead the way into the unknown. “Yes, yes I do want to insist.”

“Then New Year’s is off the table. You were drunk.” 

He laughs, a deep, uncontrolled, boisterous laugh, completely taken off-guard. It shakes the whole chair and he has to throw an arm around Nicky’s waist to keep him from falling to the floor. “Nicky, god, man, how long have you known me? I’m _always_ drunk!”

Nicky smiles, a little warily, and Sidney recognizes that look. It’s always accompanied by some _literature_ and a kindly old face talking about meetings in church basements and he needs to wipe it off his partner’s face now before real worry sets in. 

“Now don’t give me that look. Come on, you know I drink. And I wasn’t drunk on New Year’s. I remember everything.” He really does, god help him. Every now and then there’s a memory a little hazy around the edges, but that’s from magic, not alcohol. He’s had more than enough experience with both by now to tell the difference. 

Nicky prods him in the stomach, tapping a quick rhythm with his nimble fingers, unable to keep still for more than a minute or two. “Everything, you say?”

Sidney met him with the most level gaze he could muster. “We met what, Christmas Day? The day after? Honestly I don’t remember since your goddamn sister enchanted me. But then the magic wore off, and we got to work. Those first few days, you pretending not to let on as much as you knew, and I could see it in your eyes, you saw me as a walking meal ticket and not much else-”

“As if your intentions were noble when you saw me pull that stunt with the car alarm,” Nicky adds petulantly, and Sidney takes him by the chin, literally forcing him to buck up.

“Ok, maybe neither of us were on the level from that start. And that’s why New Year’s was different. We finished the first chapter and went out to celebrate.”

“We went out every night that week,” Nicky frowns around Sidney’s hand, still holding him but now tenderly, cradling his jaw in that big hand of his. 

“But New Year’s!” SIdney insisted. “You turned down that invite from your sister to go to 21 with that milksop publisher, and we got dressed up to go out-”

“You literally only had one suit.”

“And we went all the way to Brooklyn, to that place I can never remember the name of, and we pooled all of our money on the cab there-”

“You still hadn’t cashed Shep’s check yet, and I was beginning to have serious doubts about our financial security.” 

“Would you let me finish?” Sidney said, slipping one finger up to physically shush him. “We had enough money for one bottle, and you suggested champagne, which was never my favorite but I wanted to indulge you. And I thought, as the clearly hypnotized waiter brought that wretched bottle over, that if I’d let you pick the drink, then-”

“Then it was more than a business partnership?” Nicky suggested, lips brushing against Sidney’s finger in a way that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

“Then you’d be stuck finding us a cheap way home,” Sidney finished. “Except home meant your apartment, and not the hotel room I’d barely spent any time in. And I was so impressed with how you conned that cab driver-”

“And I looked pretty cute in the moonlight,”

“Now who’s insufferable? Yes, you looked cute in the moonlight, hair all mussed from the snow. So that’s why I kissed you on New Year’s Eve, and that’s when our relationship started.” He raised his now empty glass, looking down at it in disappointment. But he made a promise to cut back, and now didn’t seem like the time to push it. 

“Fair enough,” Nicky agreed, sliding down to sit on his lap, wrapping his arms around Sidney’s neck. “But how do you explain us sleeping together the morning of December 30th?”

He pauses, thoughtful. “Writer’s block?”

Nicky nods. “Reasonable. Say, how much have you written today?”

“Not a word.”

**Author's Note:**

> definitely didn't ignore half a dozen wips to knock this out in one night because I suddenly and violently remembered how much I love these two, no way no how. Also I won't confirm or deny how effective their writer's block solution is


End file.
